The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has announced 2007 shipment figures for the general aviation industry, and the news is good. The industry showed record billings of $21.9 billion, eclipsing the previous year's figure by 16 percent.

The three main airports serving Tucson, Ariz., host an eclectic mix of aircraft and missions. Traffic at all three-Tucson International, Ryan and Marana-is on the upswing. But unlike at Phoenix 120 miles northwest, flight congestion around Tucson remains minimal, and you can get in and out of there fairly easily.

If you've ever gazed out of an airplane window as you flew over the U.S. and wondered what exactly was down there, you might be interested in America from the Air, an ambitious new book by Daniel Mathews and James S. Jackson. It combines aerial photography of interesting sites found along many of the nation's flight paths with detailed descriptions of the areas.

Audi's R8 has been a bright blip on the radar of the car crowd since it was first espied a while back, but this debutant mid-engine two-seater entered the consciousness of a wider population with its fleeting appearance in the Patriots-Giants Super Bowl commercial this winter. The ad spoofed the horse's-head-in-the-bed scene from The Godfather.

As if getting sick abroad weren't bad enough, add to that the possibility of being quarantined or placed in isolation when you come home by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ("Quarantine" refers to the separation of people who have been exposed to an infectious disease and might be contagious. "Isolation" is the separation of people who already exhibit symptoms.)

You probably don't give much thought to the windows in your airplane's cabin. With the tasteful interiors and all the office and entertainment amenities available on private aircraft today, the windows might seem as though they exist solely to shed natural sunlight on the hand-rubbed rosewood finish of the pop-up computer desk.

Ending protracted speculation about how it would address the aging fuselage cross section of its large-cabin business jets, Gulfstream Aerospace last month unveiled the G650. The model will topple the G550 from its perch as the biggest Gulfstream business jet when it enters service in the first half of 2012. (At least initially, however, the G650 will not replace the G550.)

Travelers are no longer allowed to simply declare their citizenship to immigration officers at U.S/Canada border crossings. Those aged 19 and older must now show a passport, a "trusted traveler" card or a birth certificate along with government-issued identification, such as a driver's license.